Some of the equipment seized during the illegal mining operation.

Police arrested 22 illegal miners in Skeerpoort in Hartbeespoort on Saturday.
“In an endeavour to fight illicit mining, the “Vala Umgodi” operation conducted in Hartbeespoortdam and Rustenburg between Friday 10 and Saturday 11 May 2024, 22 illegal miners were arrested in Hartbeespoort and one in Rustenburg. The suspects in Hartbeespoort were arrested for contravention of the Immigration Act, 2002 (Act No. 13 of 2002). They are foreign nationals from Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi,” said police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone.
During the operations, a team that comprised various units of the police, South African National Defence Force (SANDF) and Brits Immigration officials, seized equipment that included three Supersonic generators, 20 generators, extension cords, 11 jackhammers, pressure pumps, 16 phendukas, water pumps and gas cylinders.
The suspects appeared in the Rustenburg and Brits Magistrates’ Court on Monday.